The Christmas Pig

[JamesSavik]

In the not so distant past, rural southern families kept pigs. Many of them selected one to have for a Christmas feast.

 

Christmas week they would slaughter the pig and make smoked hams, sausage and all manner of porkly treats.

 

For the piece de resistance, the pork loin was had for Christmas Eve dinner.

 

 

For the sake of tradition, I made this classic meal for my Mom tonight.

 

 

Two seasonal traditional recipes:

 

 

Roasted Pork Loin

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• salt & pepper (to taste)
• 2 pound boneless pork loin
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine (sweet)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Crush garlic with rosemary, salt and pepper, making a paste. Pierce meat with a sharp knife in several places and press the garlic paste into the openings. Rub the meat with the remaining garlic mixture and olive oil.
3. Place pork loin into oven, turning and basting with pan liquids. Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Remove roast to a platter. Heat the wine in the pan and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Serve with pan juices.

 

Butter Steamed New Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of new or very small red potatoes
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley, loosely packed

Instructions

Add the butter, water, salt and pepper to a medium saucepan and melt butter over low heat. Meanwhile, scrub the potatoes and peel a strip away from the center of each potato. Add to the saucepan, cover, and cook over low for 25 to 30 minutes. Roll potatoes around in the pan occasionally as they cook, but do not remove cover.

Sprinkle the potatoes with the parsley, toss and transfer to a serving bowl, drizzling the remaining butter from the saucepan over the top. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes: New potatoes are tiny, with very thin, delicate skins and are the best potato for this dish. If using larger red potatoes you must cut them into quarters, or they will take too long to cook. May also substitute any other baking potatoes, but peel and cut those into bite sized chunks. Adjust cooking times as needed. Cut potatoes will also absorb more of the butter. May also substitute other herbs at the end; try chives, fresh sage, rosemary, thyme or basil, or use a dried herbes de Provence

 

[Mann Ramblings]

Can you come to my house next?

[Fishwings]

James can you just marry me already, what do I have to do? D:

[hh5]

[Sasha Distan]

i love pork loin, and pork belly. good recipe Kitty, ours in very similar, but involves apple juice and cider.

[Celethiel]

anything like the Christmas goose....

*starts singing to song*

And sadly it's a song i can't find on youtube to show off...

something about a cook or old man's trama trying to kill a goose for christmas...

and the Goose had the upper hand...

"I got his neck, he's got my nose!"

Edited December 22, 2013 by Celethiel

[Henry_Henry2012]

 

No you don't! NO NO NO you don't dare!

 

I have fond childhood memories of BABE, pig in the city!

[hh5]

lol, this is wilbur

lol, thanks for the reminder

No you don't! NO NO NO you don't dare!

 

I have fond childhood memories of BABE, pig in the city!

[Celethiel]

YES! deep Fried Wilbur! he should be nice and fattened up by this time of hear

*pulls out the fork and knives*

and I ain't beleaving no propoganda by a spider...